


We'll Be All Right

by dandelionfairies



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Accidents, Car Accidents, M/M, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 06:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionfairies/pseuds/dandelionfairies
Summary: Harry is performing his one night only show in LA but there are four very important people missing.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 79
Collections: Fine Line Fic Fest





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the [Fine Line Fic Fest](https://finelineficfest.tumblr.com//). Make sure you check out all the other great fics in the collection which can be found [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/FineLineFicFest//)!
> 
> Idea came to me while watching/listening to [this performance](https://youtu.be/dEMnMFzviUU)

There’s a constant buzzing around him. He can’t seem to keep his eyes open. There’s something wrong. What’s wrong? What’s that noise? Cries… 

_ Focus. Just focus. _

He finally manages to open his eyes. Lights. Bright lights. Why are the lights so bright? They shouldn’t be this bright. 

_ Focus. Just focus. _

The cries are louder now. There’s something else now too. He blinks, trying to clear his blurred vision. He tries to wipe his eyes but finds that he can’t move his arms. Why can’t he move his arms? What’s happening?

“Faye,” he mumbles. “Hazel… Noah…” The cries are even louder. Why can’t he find them? What’s going on? As he closes his eyes once again, he can hear muffled voices. “Help… my kids…”

“We need to get him out! Now!”

* * *

Harry glances over to where his family is sitting. He frowns a little when he realizes that there are still empty seats. It’s not like his husband to be late. They’d all been so excited about this concert. It was the release of his second album and they had thought debuting it with a one night only concert would be a perfect way to start off this next journey. Harry knows that he wouldn’t miss this.

Harry walks back to where he had put his phone, checking to see if Louis had messaged him. His frown deepens when there’s nothing from his husband. He looks back over to his family, making sure Gemma is looking back at him. He gives her a questioning look, knowing that she’ll know what he’s asking. Gemma simply shrugs before lifting her phone to indicate she’ll reach out to the missing man. He notices that Lottie is doing the same thing.

As he steps up to the microphone, a cold feeling shoots through him. He grips the stand as he throws a look over at his sister again. His hand starts shaking when she simply shakes her head. He glances back at his band, nodding that he’s ready. It’s a lie. He’s not ready. But he doesn’t have a choice. He can feel tears stinging his eyes. He turns away quickly so the fans won’t see. He can’t let them see this. After composing himself as well as he can, he turns back to the fans, his smile appearing once again at their screams.

Where is his husband? Where are their kids? Louis wouldn’t miss this. This is something that they had been looking forward to from the moment it had been brought up.

Harry somehow manages to continue singing without making it obvious that something’s wrong. Is something wrong? Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe one of the kids simply got sick. No, that’s not it. Louis would have messaged him if that was the case. Or he would have at least gotten a hold of someone here. Right? Of course right. There is no way that Louis would not have let Harry know in some way that one of the kids was sick. But what if… no, he can’t think this.

As he lifts his guitar strap over his head, he throws another look over to his family. Gemma smiles sadly at him. He refuses to look at Anne. He’d likely completely break if he did. He can’t do that. Not here. Not now. He’s just thankful he gets to take a quick break after this song. He’s sure that it’s the fans that have kept him going through this. No, he’s more than sure. It’s definitely because of them that he’s been able to make it this far.

As he makes his way off stage after finishing the song, the final song on the album, he sees that Gemma is no longer in her seat. He finds her the moment he steps behind the curtain. He rushes over to his sister.

“Anything?” he asks. Before Gemma even answers, Harry knows that she hasn’t heard anything.

Gemma shakes her head. “No,” she answers. “I’ve called him. I’ve texted him. We all have. Pretty sure Lottie’s threatened him.”

Harry frowns when she looks away quickly. It’s not so much that she looked away that catches his eye, it’s the look on her face. “What? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Harry…”

“Gemma, what’s going on?” He grabs her arm to force her to look at him again. “Gem… tell me.”

“It’s nothing.”

He shakes his head. “It’s not nothing. Don’t tell me that.”

“We’ll talk after the show.”

“No… tell me.” He pleads with her. He has to know what she’s heard. “Gemma…”

“Harry, they’re waiting for you.”

“Why’d you come down here if you weren’t going to say anything?” He’s about to continue when she interrupts him.

“Because you need this.”

Before Harry can question her, Gemma is hugging him. He practically melts against his sister as he returns her hug. Of course his sister would know exactly what he would need this. His sister could read him better than most people.

“Why isn’t he here?” he asks softly.

“I don’t know. I’m sure there’s a reason. You know Louis.”

“But he would never miss this.” He squeezes his eyes shut as he feels Gemma tighten her hold around him.

“I know.” She kisses his cheek. “Go out there and dazzle your fans.”

Harry looks at Gemma again. “Will you try him again? Right now?” He can tell she wants to tell him no.

Gemma lets out a soft sigh, nodding as she pulls her phone from her pocket. After calling Louis’ phone, she makes sure to put it on speaker so Harry can hear. She can see him tense with each ring of the phone. He closes his eyes when it ultimately goes to voicemail. 

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Gemma says softly.

Harry shakes his head. “I asked you to call. So, thank you. You’ll be here when I get done?”

“Of course.” She reaches out and takes Harry’s hand. “Harry…”

“Gemma, please… promise me you’ll be here?”

“The moment you step through those curtains.”

Harry hugs her again. “Thank you.”

“Go dazzle your fans.”

Harry is beaming when he runs off stage a short while later. Even without knowing what’s going on with his husband and their kids, the night had been amazing. He couldn’t have asked for a better turn out for a concert like this.

The moment he sees his sister, however, his smile fades. “Still nothing?” he asks.

“First, you did amazing. That was such an amazing concert.”

“Gem…”

“Check your phone.”

“My…” He sighs. “I left it…”

“Your phone,” Sarah says with a smile as the band passes. 

Harry takes the phone, looking down at the screen. He frowns at the sight of several missed calls. None of which are Louis. He notices several voice messages have come through as well. 

“Hello, this is Peggy from Cedars Hospital. We are looking for a relative of Louis Tomlinson.”

Harry nearly drops his phone after hearing this. He doesn’t really hear much else.

“Harry,” Gemma says, taking Harry’s phone from him. “I don’t know much. But I got alerted to a bad accident on the 405. It would have…”

“No,” Harry interrupts. “Don’t say that.”

“Harry, there are reports already circulating that it’s Louis.”

“No!” He pulls his phone back from Gemma, calling his husband immediately. He squeezes his eyes shut when it goes to voicemail. “Lou…” He drops his phone then. “I um… hospital. They… I need…”

“We’ll get you there.”

He looks over when he hears Anne call for him. That’s when he finally lets himself break. He runs into her arms, allowing himself to finally cry. “Mum…”

“Shh… it’s going to be okay.” 


	2. Chapter 2

“Has anyone gotten a hold of his family?”

It’s now echoing. Echoing? Why is it echoing? He tries to open his eyes but can’t.

“His I.C.E isn’t answering. We’ve left messages. We haven’t heard back.”

“What’s the name?”

“It’s listed as Haz.”

Haz… why do they need to call him? What’s going on?

“Keep trying.”

* * *

Harry ducks his head as he quickly makes his way to the desk of the emergency room. “My… I got… um…” He stops when Anne rests her hand on his shoulder.

“Slow down,” she whispers. 

Harry clears his throat. “Sorry. Louis Tomlinson. I’m looking for Louis Tomlinson. And my kids. My…”

“You’re family?” the woman at the desk asks.

Harry wants to roll his eyes, but he also knows that she has to ask. “Yes. I’m his husband. He’s… my kids…”

“Sir, if you can have a seat.”

“I don’t want to have a seat. I want to know what’s going on with my husband and my kids!”

“Harry,” Anne says.

Harry grips the desk. “I’m sorry. I’m…”

“Have a seat, sir. I’m going to go and get someone to come out and talk with you.”

“Can you tell me anything?”

“I wish I could.”

Harry nods. “Okay.” He follows Anne over to where Gemma and Lottie are sitting. Instead of sitting, however, he moves to stand at the window. He can already hear the buzz around him. Everyone knows he’s here. It’s only a matter of time before it gets leaked.

“Niall’s on his way,” Gemma says. “He’s going to bring you something to change into.”

Harry looks over. “Okay.” He’s about to say something else when he sees a doctor and nurse walk into the room.

“Mr. Styles, I’m Dr. Pierce. This is Nurse Arabella.”

Harry shakes the man’s hand. “What happened? What’s going on?”

“Your husband and your kids were involved in an accident. I don’t know the details of the accident itself. The officers with your husband will come out and speak with you shortly on that. The kids are doing okay. Faye has a gash on her forehead. Outside of that, all very minor injuries considering. They’re going to be sore for a while, but there will be no lasting effects.”

Harry nods, tears once again falling down his cheeks. “Where are they?”

“We have them in a private waiting room. We have a nurse sitting with them. They’re all understandably shaken up. They kept calling out for Daddy. Do you mind…?”

“They were calling for Louis,” Harry interrupts softly. “They call Louis Daddy.”

Dr. Pierce nods. “We can take you to them as soon as we finish here.”

“How bad is it?”

“It’s hard to tell right now. He has swelling of the brain from hitting his head.”

Harry shakes as he continues to listen to Dr. Pierce going over the extent of Louis’ injuries. He’s thankful when Anne steps over. He’s not sure he can stand on his own much longer. “Can I see him? When can I see him?”

“It’s going to be a little while before we can let anyone in to see him. But we will keep you updated with everything that is going on.”

“But… he’ll be okay, right?”

“I wish I could give you that answer. Right now, it’s just too early to tell. I’m sorry I can’t give you a better answer.”

Harry nods. “Thank you. Can I… can you take me to my kids?”

“Of course. Arabella will take you right now.”

“Harry,” Niall says walking in.

Harry turns, hugging his best friend and manager. “I’m glad you’re here. I don’t know what’s…”

“The news has already broke. We’ll figure it out. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He hands Harry a bag. “Clean clothes and a few things you can clean up with in the bathroom.”

“Thanks.” Harry takes the bag. “I want to see the kids first.”

“Of course,” Arabella says. “Come with me.”

Harry follows Arabella out of the room. He isn’t sure what to expect when he sees the kids, but he is just ready to see them. “What have they been told about Daddy?”

“They know he’s hurt. We didn’t tell them to what extent.”

Harry nods. “They probably wouldn’t fully understand.” He stops when they reach a closed door. He looks at Arabella. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She rests her hand on his arm. “I’ll be here all night. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to have me paged. Once you have your time with the kids, we can let the rest of your family back here. It’ll be more private considering.”

Harry nods. “I appreciate that. Do I need to get someone to bring them back here? Or am I able to get them?”

“You can get them. Whenever you’re ready.”

  
“Thank you, Arabella.”

Harry takes a shaky breath before he steps into the room. He can hear sounds coming from the television. He closes the door slowly, taking another moment to gather himself before he steps fully into the room.

“Dada!” Faye exclaims as she jumps off one of the couches and runs over to him.

Harry lifts his oldest daughter, holding her close. “Oh, Chipmunk.” He kisses her hair, squeezing his eyes shut when he hears her soft sobs. “I’m here.” He looks over to the bed to find that Hazel is asleep. He frowns a little as he tries to figure out what she has wrapped in her arms.

“Harry… Styles…” The nurse stands from her seat. “Mr. Styles. I’m sorry.”

“Call me Harry.”

She nods. “My name is Cecilia.”

Harry kisses the side of Faye’s head. “Let me get to Noah, Darling.”

“Don’t leave,” Faye whimpers.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He sets her down once she finally releases her arms from his neck. He takes her face between his hands as he places a kiss over the bandage on her forehead. “My brave girl.”

“Dada,” Noah whines.

Harry walks over to where he’s sitting and lifts him up. “I’ve got you.” He looks at Hazel again as he rocks his son, finally realizing that she has one of Louis’ hoodies.

“She came in clutching that,” Cecilia says. “We promised that she could have it back once we made sure everything was okay with her.”

Harry looks at the nurse. “How long has she been asleep?”

“Not long, actually. To be honest…” She smiles sadly. “Can we step over here and talk?”

Harry nods. “Of course.” He kisses the side of Noah’s head before he sets him down. “Dada will be right back.” He makes sure Faye is sitting again before he steps to the other side of the room with Cecilia.

“It hasn’t been easy. From the accident itself to them not having anyone they knew around them for the last few hours. When they were brought in, they were each crying out for Daddy. With what I’ve just heard, I’m assuming that Louis is Daddy?”

“He is.” He wipes his eyes. “They must have been so scared. Why didn’t I check my phone?”

“Harry, you can’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have prevented this from happening. You… you did not go on stage tonight knowing or thinking that your husband and family would be in an accident. Hazel came in clutching the hoodie. The only way we were able to get her to release it so we could examine her was hanging it so she could see it. We gave it back to her the moment we were finished.”

“It’s Louis’.” Harry clears his throat. “She’s a Daddy’s girl and has actually been going through a phase where she doesn’t ever want to leave him.” He covers his face as he feels his tears once again. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for.”

After a moment, Harry drops his hands. “I need to change. I came straight here. I didn’t… can you tell me where the closest bathroom is?”

“Of course. Actually, if you give me a moment, I think I can arrange for you to take a shower if you’d like.”

Harry smiles sadly. “You really don’t…” He stops just as quickly. “If you can’t, it’s fine. I just need a sink.”

“I’ll see what I can do. I will also grab a few more drinks for everyone here.”

“Do you think you could let my family know they can come back here too? I was going to go, but I think I just want to sit with my kids for a few minutes.”

“Of course. I’ll be right back.”

Harry walks over to sit down between Faye and Noah. He isn’t surprised when they both move to curl up against him. He slides his arms around them as he looks over to where Hazel is still sleeping. 

“Dada,” Faye says softly. “Where’s Daddy?”

“Daddy’s in another room, Chipmunk,” Harry answers.

“Why can’t he be in here with us?”

Harry closes his eyes at the question. He’s not surprised by it at all. He’s just not sure how he can actually answer. He leans down, kissing the top of Faye’s head. “Because Daddy needs special treatment right now.”

“Like your kisses?” Faye looks up at Harry. “Daddy says your kisses are magic.”

Harry smiles through the tears that had once again formed. “More powerful than my kisses even.”

“Wow.”

There’s a soft knock on the door before it’s pushed open slowly. Harry looks over, smiling a little when he sees Anne and Gemma step into the room. He’s thankful to have his family with him now.

“Gramma!” Faye slips off the couch and runs over to Anne.

Harry watches as Anne lifts Faye up easily. He watches as his Mum whispers something into Faye’s ear. It’s not too surprising. It’s what Anne always does when she’s calming any of them down. Harry had even seen her do the same to Louis on a few occasions.

“Dada,” Noah says climbing onto Harry’s lap.

“Hey, Little Bear.” Harry smiles as he wraps his arms around his son. “How you feeling?”

“Hurt.”

Harry’s heart sinks at that. “I wish I could take away your pain.” He combs his fingers through Noah’s chestnut locks as his son settles against his chest. “But it will get better.”


	3. Chapter 3

_ Beep… beep… beep… _

Make it stop. Turn it off. He tries to open his eyes when he hears movement around him. Why can’t he open his eyes?

“I’m still worried about the swelling,” a deep voice says.

Swelling? What swelling? What’s wrong?

“Order another scan for the morning. Hopefully, there will be a change from tonight.”

* * *

  
  
Harry is thankful that Cecilia had been able to work out him using a shower. He had told her he didn’t need it, which had been true. However, it releases a tension in his neck that he hadn’t even realized he had. 

As he starts dressing again, he sees exactly what Niall had packed. He has to smile when he pulls a hoodie out. It’s one of his ‘Treat People With Kindness” hoodies, but it’s so much more than that. It’s Louis’. Harry hadn’t had this at the Forum. Which means Niall had made a trip back to Harry and Louis’ to get it.

Harry closes his eyes as he pulls the hoodie on. It smells like Louis. He takes a shaky breath as he feels tears roll down his cheeks. “Thank you, Niall.”

Harry walks back into the private waiting room a few minutes later. He leans against the wall as he looks around the room. He’s about to say something when the door opens beside him. He looks over to see Arabella step into the room.

“I came to check on Miss Faye’s cut,” Arabella says.

Harry nods. “Of course.” He wishes she would have told him he could see Louis. “Can you tell me anything about Louis?”

“There’s been no change.” She gives him a small smile. “I wish I could give you something more. Right now, that’s all we have.”

Harry follows her over the couch where Faye is sitting. He sits down beside his oldest daughter. “Faye, you need to let Nurse Arabella look at your head.”

“Can I sit on your lap?” Faye asks.

“Of course. Come here.” He lifts her onto his lap. “Stay still for her.”

Arabella smiles at Faye. “You have beautiful blue eyes.”

“Like Daddy,” Faye says with a smile. 

“Oh yeah? Well, I look forward to being able to see his.” Arabella pulls the tape off carefully. “Can you tell me how old you are, Faye?”

“Six.”

“That’s a good age. Are you the oldest?”

“Yes. Then Hazel. Then Noah. Hazel’s four. Noah’s two.”

“You’re very lucky to have a brother and a sister. I am an only child.”   
  


“Do you have kids?”

“I don’t. Maybe someday.” Arabella smiles as she finishes putting the new bandage over Faye’s cut. “There, all done.” She looks at Harry then. “I’ll come back in a little bit to check in with everyone. If there are any updates before then, I’ll be back then.”

Harry nods. “Thank you, Arabella.”

“You’re welcome. I will send in some blankets and pillows as well.”

Harry turns from where he’s standing at the window when a knock sounds. He sees Arabella step in once again. He’s not even sure how long it’s been since the nurse had left from changing Faye’s bandage. He frowns a little when she waves for him to come with her. He looks at Anne who motions for him to go. As he makes his way over, all he can think about it that something has happened.

“How bad is it?” Harry asks before Arabella can even say anything.

“We wanted to wait until morning before making this decision, but we can’t wait any longer. The swelling on his brain has caused him to start seizing. We need to go in and hopefully reduce the swelling.”

“Hopefully?”

“With as severe as his injuries are, there’s no guarantee that this is going to work.”

“Meaning he could die?” Harry covers his face, sobbing softly into his hands. “But if you don’t do this, then he will die.”

“I know this isn’t… no, let me rephrase that. I can only imagine how difficult this is for you right now. We are doing everything we can to make sure that your husband lives. We need your approval to actually do the surgery, however.”

“What do you have to do?”

“Our hope is that inserting a small hole will be enough to drain the excess fluid that has built up.” She gestures toward Harry's head. “May I?”

He frowns a little but nods. “Okay.”

She reaches up, positioning a finger over an area on his head. “This is about the placement of where Dr. Pierce would be making the incision.” She drops her hand again as she meets Harry’s gaze.

“When would you do this?”

“They’re prepping an operating room right now. Once we have your okay, we will take him down.”

“I want to see him first. Please? I need to see him.”

“Come with me.”

Harry follows Arabella down the hall. He isn’t sure what to even expect when he sees Louis; he just knows that he needs to see his husband. When they stop at a nurse’s station, he frowns a little.

“Give me just a moment to speak with Dr. Pierce.”

Harry simply nods as he watches her walk over to where the doctor is standing. It doesn’t take much to know that it’s not clear if he’ll even be able to see his husband. Great… the love of his life is going in for a procedure that they aren’t even sure is going to work and he may never actually see him again. He wraps his arms around himself, breathing in the scent of the hoodie. Thankfully Louis had just recently worn it so it still smells exactly like him.

“We can only let you have a moment,” Arabella says as she returns. “I wish we could give you longer.”

“I understand.” Harry wipes his eyes. “I’m thankful for the moment I will get.”

“Before we go in, I want you to be aware of what you’re walking into.”

Harry closes his eyes as he listens as Arabella explains the different machines that Louis is hooked up to. It breaks his heart knowing that he can’t do anything to ease Louis’ pain. He jumps a little when Arabella touches his arm. “Sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She gestures behind her. “He’s right this way.”

Harry follows Arabella to a room on the other side of the nurse’s station. He stops just outside of the room. “Will I be able to touch him?”

Arabella nods. “Of course. You’ll just have to be careful.”

“I will.” He finally moves into the room. He covers his mouth the moment he sees Louis. He’s never seen the man like this. As he approaches the bed, he can feel his hands shaking. “Oh God.”

“I know it’s not easy to see,” Arabella says softly.

“No, it’s not.” Harry reaches out, taking Louis’ hand carefully. “Oh, Lou Bear. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” He sits down on the edge of the bed, making sure not to jostle Louis at all. “I’m scared, Lou. I don’t… don’t know what to do. I can’t do this without you.” He leans down, pressing a soft kiss to the side of Louis’ mouth. “I love you so much.”

Harry walks into the waiting room again after watching them take Louis back. He falls to the couch beside Anne, finally breaking down once again. He curls down around his legs. Anne wraps her arms around him.

“Honey, what happened?” Anne asks softly.

Harry shakes his head as he moves his arms around the back of his head. He can’t bring himself to talk just yet. He’s thankful when Anne doesn’t push him.

“Okay, Baby Boy. You don’t have to say anything right now.” She kisses the side of his head. “We’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.”

He sobs even more when he feels Gemma hugs him as well. “Don’t let go.”

“Never,” Gemma whispers. She knows that he isn’t talking to them, but she also knows her brother needs to hear it. She looks over at Anne, smiling sadly as they both try to soothe him.

Harry isn’t sure how long he stays like this. But he’s sure he has no tears left to cry as he finally makes a move to sit up. He looks over to where all three kids are now sleeping. He’s happy to see that. He doesn’t want any of them to see him like this.

“They um… they’re doing a procedure,” Harry says softly. “The swelling on his brain caused him to start seizing.” He shakes his head. “They don’t even know if this is going to work. I could lose him. Oh God.” He curls around himself again, wrapping his arms around his head. “I can’t lose him. Mum…”

Anne pulls Harry against her. “Oh, Harry.” She looks across at her daughter, not knowing what to do or even say right now. She has never seen her son so devastated and broken.

“I can’t… I need him.”

“Harry, you aren’t going to lose him. He’s strong, so strong.”

“You didn’t see him. He’s… I’ve never seen him look… so…” He looks at Anne again. “I’m scared, Mum.”

“I know, Baby Boy.”


	4. Chapter 4

He can hear him. Oh that voice. He’d know that voice anywhere.  _ I’m here. _ He tries reaching out but can’t move. 

_ Move… just move. Take his hand. Kiss him back. _

“How long will it take?”

“It should be done in under an hour.”

An hour… what’s going to take an hour? 

“We have to take him back now.”

_ No, don’t take me. Don’t let them take me. Stay with me. _

Then he feels his lips again. “I’ll be waiting, Lou Bear.”

* * *

  
  
Harry hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep until he feels someone settling on his chest. He opens his eyes to find Noah resting his head on him. “Hey, Little Bear.” He combs his fingers through his son’s hair as he looks over to where Gemma is sitting. “What time is it?”

“Almost four,” Gemma answers. “The girls are still sleeping. Noah wanted you. I couldn’t hold him off any longer.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I don’t know how I did. Has anyone been in yet?”

“Cecilia came in to check on everyone. Mum and Niall went to go talk to security. It’s crazy out there. While there hasn’t been an official statement from anyone, the rumors are out there that we’re all here.”

Harry sighs. “I should probably talk to Niall to release something. Has anyone heard from Liam?”

“Niall’s been talking to him.”

Harry nods as best as he can from the way he’s laying. “Okay, good.”

“Lottie is on her way back. She’s been in contact with everyone back home. Now she just wants to be with family.”

“As she should be.” 

A knock on the door interrupts them. Harry watches as the door opens to see Arabella step into the room. He carefully sits up, keeping Noah against him. Arabella gives him a smile.

“Can I come in?” she asks. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“No, come in,” Harry says. He watches as the nurse moves over toward him. “Should I have Gemma take Noah?”

“That won’t be necessary. As long as you’re okay with us talking in front of him.” She waits for Harry’s approval before continuing. “The procedure went well. It took a little longer than expected. That being said, it’s looking good so far. It appears that the swelling has reduced already. We are going to do another scan in a few hours and we should know more at that time.”

Harry squeezes his eyes shut as he nods. “Okay. But it looks good?”

“It does. I don’t want to get your hopes up, though. He’s still not out of danger.”

“Am I able to see him?”

“I’m afraid we can’t let anyone in with him right now. As soon as he’s able to have visitors, we will let you know.”

Harry nods. “Okay.” He wipes his eyes.

“Dada,” Noah says. “I see Daddy?”

“No, Little Bear. Daddy has to rest.” Harry looks over when the door opens again. This time it’s his sister-in-law that’s walking in with Liam right behind her.

“I’m sorry,” Arabella says. “This room is off-limits.”

“They’re family,” Harry says. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Forgive me.”

“It’s okay,” Lottie says with a small smile. “I’m Louis’ sister, Lottie. This is his manager, Liam.”

“I’m Arabella. I’ve been involved with your brother since he was brought in.”

“Do you think you can point me in the direction of security?” Liam asks. “I’d like to speak to them. I don’t think we’ll be able to hold off on a statement much longer. Harry, where’s Niall?”

“He’s already with security. Probably doing the exact same thing that you’re going to do,” Harry says.

Liam nods. “Okay good.”

Arabella instructs him where to head to be taken to the security office. Only after he leaves does she look at Harry again. “He’s intense.”

Harry smiles a little. “That’s Liam for you. He means well.”

“I imagine this isn’t easy for him, either. If he’s as close with Louis as you are with your manager.”

“We both got lucky.” 

“Dada, potty,” Noah says.

Before Harry can say anything, Gemma is walking over. She holds her hand out for her nephew.

“I’ll take him,” Gemma says.

Harry nods. “Thanks, Gems.” He stands up after they leave and looks at Arabella again. “How do you feel about how it went with Louis?”

“I think it went really well. I don’t want to give you false hope, Harry.”

“I know. I appreciate you keeping us up to date.”

“Of course. I will be leaving in a couple of hours. Before I leave, I will introduce you to who will take over. And before you ask. Niall has been on top of everything. Anyone who has come in any kind of contact with anyone in your family has been asked to sign NDAs. Nothing gets out to anyone that isn’t from you or your family.”

Harry nods. “Thank you.”

When Niall, Anne, and Liam return a short while later, Harry knows that he’s going to have to give some kind of statement. He doesn’t even have to ask. He can see it by the looks on their faces.

“Why can’t they just give us time?” he asks.

Niall sits down beside him. “You don’t have to be the one to say anything,” he says. “Liam and I can be the ones to give the statement.”

Harry shakes his head. “No, they should hear it from me.”

“That’s not all,” Anne says. “The cops are here to speak with you.”

Harry sighs. “Okay. Where?”

“I’ll take you there,” Niall says. “And I’m staying with you. Liam will stay here with the family.”

“And if we get any updates on Louis, we’ll come get you,” Liam says.

Harry follows Niall out of the room. He keeps his head down as they make their way down the hall. “What do they want?”

“They want to talk to you about the accident,” Niall answers. “I don’t know everything. But that’s I’m staying with you.”

“Like you wouldn’t anyways.”

Niall reaches over, squeezing Harry’s shoulder. “I’m your best friend, so of course I would.”

Harry can feel his hands shaking as they approach where the cops are standing. “Niall, I can’t do this.”

“You can.”

“Mr. Styles,” one of the men says. “Thank you for giving us a few minutes to talk.”

Harry shakes each officer’s hand. “Thank you for giving me time to be with my family.”

“Of course. We won’t keep you long.”

“Do you know how it happened?”

“Does your husband smoke, Mr. Styles?” the youngest looking officer asks. Andrew… if Harry remembers correctly. Normally, he’s good with names.

“Excuse me?”

“Andy, let me handle this,” Ed says with a sigh. “Mr. Styles, we have several witnesses saying that the gentleman in the blue sedan is the one who caused the accident. He’s accusing the driver of the black SUV of being distracted because of a cigarette.”

Harry frowns as he shakes his head. “No, that’s not…” He runs a hand through his hair. “I mean… yes, my husband smokes. But he never smokes in the car if the kids are with him. What did the other witnesses say? Was Louis smoking?”

“The only other person that saw inside your husband’s vehicle said they don’t remember seeing him with a cigarette. The driver of the blue sedan… dispatch had gotten a couple of calls in the hour leading up to your husband’s accident stating that there was a car driving out of control. All of the witnesses in the accident say the exact same thing. He was weaving in and out of traffic. He clipped the front end of Mr. Tomlinson’s vehicle which caused him to spin.”

Harry closes his eyes when he hears this. “Do… oh God.” He feels Niall rest his hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. I know this can’t be easy for you.”

Harry shakes his head. “No, it’s not.” He wipes his eyes.

“Officer Hannigan and I were the first to arrive at the scene. I don’t… I don’t know how much you want to know.”

“Anything you can tell me.” He reaches back to grip Niall’s arm as Ed tells them exactly what they had seen when they approached Louis’ SUV. He shakes his head as Ed stops talking. How is Louis even still alive?


	5. Chapter 5

Beep… beep… beep…

Again with the beeping. Why can’t it stop? If only he could open his eyes to see where it’s even coming from. He could turn it off then.

“I don’t want too many people in the room at once. And I don’t think his children should be in here at all right now.”

What? No. He needs to see his kids. He has to. 

“But I don’t see there being any reason the rest of his family can’t be in here. As long as they only come in two at a time. This includes Mr. Payne and Mr. Horan.”

Liam… Niall… they’re here? What’s going on?

“Of course, Dr. Pierce. I know his husband will want to see him right away. As soon as he’s finished with speaking with the police, I will bring him back.”

Police? Why are the police here?

* * *

Harry looks beside him at Niall and Liam as they step outside. “Stay by me,” he says softly.

“Of course,” Niall says with a nod. “We aren’t going anywhere.”

Harry nods as he steps over to where Niall and Liam and managed to set up a spot for the media. This is the worst part of being a celebrity. He can already hear the questions starting.

“If everyone will quiet down,” Liam announces. “Harry Styles will be making a statement. There will be no questions at this time.”

Harry can feel his hands shaking once again as he takes a breath. “Um… the rumor that my husband, Louis Tomlinson, was involved in an accident last night is true. Louis and our three kids were on their way to the Forum to see my show when they were involved in a terrible accident on the 405. Faye, Hazel, and Noah managed to walk away with some cuts and bruises. However, their emotional state is a difficult one. Louis’ injuries were more severe. I want to thank the doctors, nurses, and the entire staff here at Cedars for how incredible they have been through this difficult time. They have been wonderful not only to my husband and my kids but to my entire family that is here. I will not go into the details of Louis’ injuries. This is a very personal, very difficult time for us. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us.”

“Harry, what can you tell us about Louis’ condition?” someone calls out.

Niall steps up beside Harry then. “That’ll be all. Thank you.” He takes Harry’s arm.

Harry ducks his head when the flashes start, thankful when Liam steps in front of him. He lets Niall guide him back into the hospital. “Why do they do that?” he asks softly.

“I don’t know.” Niall rubs his friend’s back. “Come on. Let’s get you back. I think we should get you something to eat. You haven’t eaten in a while.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“I know. But just try? For me?”

Harry nods. “Yeah, okay.” He steps into their private waiting room again. 

“Dada!” Hazel runs over.

Harry lifts his youngest daughter up with ease, holding her close. “Oh, Dove.”

“We hurted,” she whispers into his neck.

“I know, Dove. But you’re going to be okay.” He closes his eyes as he lets Hazel continue to cry softly. She’s the only one who hadn’t had this moment already and he’ll give her as long as she needs.

“Daddy?” Hazel pulls back to look at Harry. “I see Daddy?”

“You can’t right now, Hazel. Daddy is in a special room.” 

“Oh…” 

Harry isn’t surprised by the tears he sees in her eyes. This has to be the look Louis always tells him he gives. “I wish we could all see Daddy. But we can’t yet. Not until he’s better.” He kisses her cheek.

“Daddy hurt? More us?”

“Yeah, Dove. Daddy’s hurt more than you were.” He rubs her back as he moves to turn when the door opens.

Arabella steps into the room with two other nurses. “Can I ask how it went out there?” she asks looking at Harry.

Harry shrugs. “Nothing that wasn’t expected. How’s Louis?”

“That’s actually one of the reasons I’m here. Which I will get to in a moment. I wanted to introduce you to the two nurses that are going to be with you today. This is Heather, she’s going to be taking over for me. So she’ll be the one working with Louis. And this is Lisa, she’s taking over for Cecilia.”

Harry nods. “It’s nice to meet you both. And thank you. Arabella has let us know that you’ve all signed NDAs.”

“Of course,” Heather says. “If this was under any other circumstance, my inner fangirl would be going crazy right now.”

Harry smiles as he lets out a small laugh. “Um…” He looks at Arabella again. “Louis?” He looks over when Niall steps over.

“Come on, Ankle Biter,” Niall says as he reaches for Hazel.

“That Unca Lili’s name for me.”

“Oh dear, you’re right. My apologies, Kit Kat.” Niall kisses her cheek. “Let’s go play a game on Unca Ni’s phone.”

Harry gives him a small smile before they walk away. He looks back at Arabella again. “Is it bad?”

“It’s not great,” Arabella says. “We still have concerns. He’s also still not awake. That being said, the swelling has reduced immensely.”

“Okay. That’s good, though, right?”

“It is. Would you like to see him?”

Harry swallows hard, sure that he’s heard her incorrectly. “You… we can see him?”

“Right now, we want it to be very limited. We are limiting it to two people at a time.”

“Go,” Anne says from her seat behind them. “You need to see him first.”

Harry nods. “Okay. Um… Mum…”

“Harry, go. The kids will be fine.”

Harry walks into the room Heather had led him to, the same room he’d been in for a moment the night before. He takes a shaky breath when he sees his husband simply lying there. 

“Oh, Lou.” He approaches the bed, sitting on the edge carefully. “I’m here, Lou Bear. They said we can start seeing you. Only two at a time.” He carefully takes Louis’ hand. “The kids still can’t come in.”

Leaning down, he presses a soft kiss to the side of Louis’ mouth. “The swelling has gone down. Just…” He squeezes his eyes shut and covers his mouth with his free hand as a sob escapes. “Oh God… I don’t know if you can even hear me, Lou. I’d like to think you can. So I guess… don’t leave me.”

After a few minutes, Harry moves the chair from the corner of the room closer to the bed. What he wouldn’t give to climb into bed with Louis, to be held by his husband. Hopefully that’ll be able to happen soon. He just has to be patient. As he sits down, he takes a shaky breath.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” he mutters. He scoots the chair even closer to the bed in order to take Louis’ hand. “Even with all of this, you still manage to be the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” He leans down, kissing Louis’ knuckles. “Please don’t leave me. We need you, Sun.”

Harry isn’t sure when he falls asleep, but the next thing he remembers is a hand carefully shaking his shoulder to wake him up. He lifts his head to find Heather smile softly at him.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your sleep,” Heather says.

“No, it’s okay,” Harry says. “Didn’t mean to fall asleep actually.” He wipes the sleep from his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I just need to do a quick check on Louis.”

Harry nods. “Oh, of course. I’ll…”

“You can stay.”

Harry nods. “Okay.” He moves the chair back to let Heather get to wherever she needs to go.

“I know it’s not easy seeing him like this.” Heather glances over at Harry before she continues going over each machine. “I wish I could tell you that everything will be okay. But I know that even if you believe me, you wouldn’t fully believe me until you see his eyes.”

Harry frowns as he looks over at Heather. “You know this from experience and not just being a nurse,” he notes.

“I do.” She shrugs a little. “My sister was in a bad accident when we were teenagers.”

“I’m sorry. Is she…? I mean…”

“She’s good. She had to give up her dream of being a soccer star, but this beats the alternative.” Heather sets the clipboard down. “I’m going to change his bandages now too.”

Harry nods. “Okay.” He clears his throat as he watches her carefully move the blanket lower. It’s the first time he’s seeing this part of Louis. “Um…” He stands up quickly. “I think I should…”

“Harry, it’s okay.” She walks over, resting her hand on his shoulder. “Look at me.” She waits until he does meet her gaze before smiling softly. “Breathe with me.”

The first few breaths are difficult to make, but he does manage to get a handle on his breathing again. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I should have told you about each one before I revealed them.” She gives his shoulder a squeeze. “If you need to leave the room, I won’t stop you. But if you think you can handle seeing this, I believe Louis would want you here.”

Harry nods. “Um… Okay. Just… Can he feel it?”

“We have him sedated. So no, right now he can’t feel the pain.”

“Okay.” He watches as Heather moves over to grab new gloves before she returns to the other side of the bed. He has to talk to keep his mind off of what Louis is going through right now. “Um… so you mentioned that if we weren’t here you’d be going crazy.”

Heather blushes at the statement. “Yes, I did.”

“So you’re a fan?”

“I mean… yeah, I would say so. Please don’t worry. Even if I didn’t sign that NDA, I wouldn’t say anything. I hope my being a fan doesn’t change anything.”

“Not at all.” Harry shakes his head.

“Can I ask you something? If you don’t want to answer it, I won’t be mad. Just something I’ve always been curious about.”

“Sure.”

“Why’d you two deny it in the beginning?”

Harry had actually expected a question like that. “Well…” He shrugs. “When it first started, we just wanted to make sure it was going somewhere. We didn’t want it to get out and then something happen. Because no matter what happened, we were friends first and foremost.”

Heather smiles. “I always loved your friendship.” Her smile falters. “But there’s more, isn’t there?”

Harry simply nods. “Yes.” He lets out a soft breath. “I don’t really want to get into everything. But he wasn’t completely out at the time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. You aren’t the first person to ask. You actually got more of an answer than anyone else. We usually just tell people that there were circumstances that made us hold back. Honestly, I’m not sure how many people actually bought that. Did you believe it? I mean, when we kept saying that we were just good friends?”

“Honestly? No. At first, I think I did. I thought maybe what I was seeing was what I wanted to see. But… the way you two always looked at each other. It was hard to deny it.”

Harry blushes as he looks down at his husband. “It was so difficult denying it. All I wanted to do was be with him. And I couldn’t, because…” He shakes his head as he looks away. “And now I could lose him again.”

Heather frowns. “Again? Oh, Harry…”

Harry squeezes his eyes shut after realizing what he had said. “Please… pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“Let me say something first? Please?”

He wipes his eyes before looking at Heather again. “Okay.”

“You didn’t lose him then and you aren’t going to lose him now.”

He chokes up at that. “I…” He takes a shaky breath. “Thank you.”


	6. Chapter 6

“If you wanted attention, all you had to do was call us.”

Liam…

“Louis has to be dramatic.”

Niall…

Once again, he can’t actually open his eyes. He knows they’re here though. But why are they here? Where is he? He needs to open his eyes. He needs to look around. He needs to see his family.

“Come on, Tommo. You have to wake up. We aren’t done with you.”

_ I’m not done with you. _

* * *

  
Harry looks over when the door opens, smiling a little when he sees Arabella walk into the room. “You’re back,” he says.

“I’m back,” Arabella says. She flips through the papers on the clipboard she has. “Heather has updated me on everything. I’m going to go ahead and do another quick run over everything.”

“Okay.” He moves the chair back so Arabella can get to where she needs. “Can I ask you something? It’s probably going to be a dumb question.”

“No such thing. Ask away.” She smiles over at him.

“Can he hear us?”

“Well…”

“I know, dumb question.”

“Not a dumb question. However, there is no proof one way or another on it. I’ve seen people wake up and know what’s been going on around them. I’ve also seen people wake up where they don’t. So here’s what I say. Do you think he can hear you?”

Harry looks at Louis as he nods. “Yeah, I think he can.”

“Then there’s your answer. Is it my turn to ask you a question?”

“Sure.” Harry frowns when Arabella lifts up a napkin. Oh…

“New song?”

Harry’s sure he’s blushing right now. “Wouldn’t say that. Just something I was thinking about earlier.”

“Hmm…” She smiles as she hands Harry the napkin.

“Maybe I’ll think about it after all of this is over.” He jumps when he sees Louis’ hand twitch. “Arabella…” Tears sting as he sees Louis’ entire body start shaking.

“I need help in here,” Arabella yells.

“What’s going on?” He looks over quickly when a couple of other nurses rush in. “Oh God.”

Harry isn’t sure how he’d gotten back to the waiting room with the rest of his family. But he does know that it’s Lottie and Gemma who help him to the couch.

“Harry,” Lottie says softly. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“He had a seizure,” Harry answers. “He um… Arabella and I were just talking and he just started…” He shakes his head as he curls down against himself. “I don’t know what’s going on now.”

Lottie wraps her arms around her brother-in-law. “They’ll tell us as soon as they can.”

“What if they can’t…? What if I lose him? My babies could lose him. Oh…”

“Harry,” Gemma says. “Stop talking like that.”

Harry pulls away from Lottie’s hold. “I can’t… I need…” He stands up quickly. “I don’t…” What he needs is something that neither Lottie nor Gemma can give him. 

“Harry, tell us what you need,” Lottie says. 

“What I need you can’t give me. I need to see my husband’s eyes. I need my husband to hold me. I need… I need my kids to see their Daddy again. I need my husband.”

“Harry,” Arabella says as she steps in. 

Harry starts shaking the moment he hears her. He turns slowly, unsure how he’s actually managing to stay standing. He jumps when he feels arms wrap around him, then immediately relaxes when he realizes it’s Niall. “Is he…?”

“He’s okay.” She walks over to be closer to Harry. “He’s okay. It’s not unusual for that to happen with the type of trauma he’s had.”

“You said that the procedure worked.”

“It did. Right now, his brain is overworking right now. Because of that, it added pressure.”

“Is he awake?”

“No, he’s still not awake. But he’s stable. You can go back in with him.”

Harry shakes his head. “No, I can’t. Not right now. Not…” His legs go weak and he’s thankful Niall’s holding him right now.

“Fuck,” Niall mutters. “Come on, Haz. Let’s get to the couch again.”

“Okay.” Harry lets Niall move them over to the couch. He practically falls down onto the cushions, immediately falling against Niall. “Ni, you go. You and Liam. Go see him again.”

“I’m staying here with you.”

“Ni…”

“You’re exhausted. You need sleep and I’m going to make sure you get some.”

Harry wants to argue with his best but knows he can’t. He knows he won’t win this one. After a moment, he finally nods, sinking further into Niall’s side. “Someone should be with him.”

“Liam and I will go,” Lottie says. “I’d like to see him.”

Harry nods. “Okay, good. You should. But… where are the kids?” He panics then when he realizes that his kids are not in the room. How hadn’t he realized that? Oh God, he’s such a horrible father for not realizing. “My…”

“Mum took them to get something to eat,” Gemma interrupts. “They’re fine. Now, lay down and sleep. You’re exhausted.”

Niall tugs at Harry’s hair. “Come on, Haz.”

Harry doesn’t really remember moving to lay down on the couch. He doesn’t remember Niall keeping his hold around him. He doesn’t remember falling asleep. He does remember hearing the sounds of three very familiar giggles. He blinks, letting his eyes adjust to the soft light. He can see the kids sitting on the floor playing a game. He smiles when he feels an arm squeeze his waist.

“Thank you, Ni,” he says softly.

“You’re welcome,” Niall says just as softly.

Harry looks back at his best friend, giving him a small smile. He sits up then, wiping the sleep from his eyes. 

“Well, look at that,” Lottie says with a bright smile. “Dada’s awake.”

Faye waves over at him. “Hi, Dada!”

“Hi, Chipmunk.” He has to smile at the way each of his kids waves emphatically at him. “You three having fun?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He looks at Lottie. “You’re back already?”

“Harry, you were asleep for four hours,” Lottie says. 

Harry frowns as he runs a hand through his hair. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep that long.”

“It’s fine. You needed it. I know you haven’t slept much since we’ve been here.”

Harry walks into Louis’ room a short time later. As he approaches the bed, he can already feel the tears start. He takes a seat on the chair that is still, or again, beside Louis’ bed. “You scared me, Lou. I was so scared.” He shifts, taking Louis’ hand. “I’d give anything to see your eyes right now.” He presses a soft kiss to Louis’ knuckles.

Over the next hour or so, Harry continues to sit beside Louis’ bed. He makes sure to kiss his husband’s hand every once in a while. Before long, he needs to stand up. He gives Louis’ hand one more kiss before he stands up.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he says. “I just need to move a little.” He walks over to the window, looking out over the darkening city. He wraps his arms around himself as he takes a deep breath. “I’m going to send the kids home with Mum, Gemma, and Lottie. They need to sleep in real beds. They need to be home.” He turns to look at Louis again. “I wish I could bring you home. I wish you could hold me, Lou. I don’t know how to fix this. I… It’s always been you that’s held us together. And now…”

Harry walks into their waiting room a short time later. Noah is asleep on the couch beside Liam. Hazel and Faye are both sitting with Lottie and Gemma watching a movie. Harry moves over to where Anne is sitting.

“Hi, Baby Boy,” Anne says as he sits down.

“Hi, Mum.” He leans against her when she pulls him into her. “I want you and the girls to take the kids home. They don’t need to be here. They should be home.”

“What about you, Harry?”

“I can’t leave Lou. I need to be here in case he gets up.”

Anne nods. “Okay.” She combs her fingers through his hair the way she had when he was a little boy, making him curl further against her. “Do you want me to stay?”

“No, you go.” He sits up and wipes his eyes. “I should go talk to the girls.”

“I can do that.”

“No, I need to.” Harry stands up and walks over to where the girls are sitting. “I want to talk to Hazel and Faye for a minute.”

Gemma nods. “Of course.” She stands up. “How’s Louis?”

Harry shrugs. “Nothing new.” He sits down between his daughters after Gemma and Lottie step away. “I want to talk to you two.”

“Do we get to see Daddy?” Faye asks, looking up at Harry. 

“I’m afraid not. I wish you could, but you can’t right now. He still needs to get better before everyone can see him.” He lifts his arms as both girls move to cuddle against him. “I promise that as soon as you’re able to, you will see Daddy.”

“Good.”

“I think it’s time for you three to go home, though. You should be at home.”

“But…” Faye frowns. “Daddy…”

“Daddy will still be here. But I think you three should be back at home. Sleeping in your own beds…”

“Can we sleep with you?” Hazel asks.

Harry shakes his head. “You can sleep in our bed. But Dada’s going to stay here.”

“Stay with you.” Hazel climbs onto Harry’s lap then.

“But you’ll be with Grandma. And Auntie Gemma. And Auntie Lottie.”

Harry isn’t really too surprised that neither of his daughters wants to leave. He’s just glad that they don’t fight it long. He watches as they walk over to where they have their few things. It hurts to know that he won’t be able to put them to bed tonight, but he knows that they need to be home and he needs to be here. He stands up and walks over to his sleeping son. He lifts him up carefully.

“Dada,” Noah mumbles. “You woke me.”

“I know, Little Bear. I’m sorry.” He kisses the side of his head. “Grandma, Auntie Gemma, and Auntie Lottie are going to take you and the girls home.”

“You?”

“Dada’s going to stay here.”

“With Daddy?”

Harry nods. “Yeah, with Daddy.”

Niall and Liam walk in then. Harry frowns a little, realizing he hadn’t even seen them leave. But it makes sense. They were probably arranging a way for his family to get home.

“Liam’s going to ride with them back to the house,” Niall says. “He’ll grab you some more clothes while he’s there.”

Harry nods. “Okay. Can you… umm…” He hates that a simple question has him blushing.

“Shirts or hoodies?” Liam asks.

“Shirts. Getting a bit warm wearing this.”

“You got it. We have a car at a back entrance. No one is out there. We should probably go now, though, before someone does figure it out.”

Harry collapses onto the couch after getting back from walking his family out. He covers his face as he takes a staggered breath. “Did I do the right thing, Niall?” He drops his hands to look at his best friend.

“About what?”

“Sending the kids home. I feel guilty. I should want to be with them. And I do. I just…”

“Harry, stop. You did the right thing. You know you did. There’s only so much they can do here.”

Harry nods. “I know.” He shifts so he can lean against Niall. “Thank you, Niall.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” Niall lifts his arm, wrapping it around Harry’s shoulders. “Things are going to be okay.”


	7. Chapter 7

_ Open your eyes. Just open your eyes. _

“If I hear one more thing about an interview, I’m going to scream.”

Liam… Liam’s back.

“I’m just glad they’ve stayed outside.”

Niall’s back too. Good. Okay, this is good.  _ Now just talk to them. _

“How was it at the house?”

“A joke.”

The house? Who’s at the house? Did Harry leave? No, he needs Harry here.

******   
  
Harry leans down, kissing the side of Louis’ mouth. “Good morning, Lou Bear. Talked to Mum. Kids slept in our bed. And they actually slept all night.” He sits down, immediately taking Louis’ hand. “I didn’t sleep much. I slept some yesterday. I just… it reminds me of when one of us is on tour and can’t be with each other. Only worse. Because you’re right here this time.”

He squeezes his eyes, trying to stop the tears. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do this. I can’t keep crying. But it hurts. All I want to do is climb into bed with you. And then I hate myself. Here you are, clinging…”

Harry growls as he pushes away from the bed and stands up. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.” He walks over to the window. “It should have been me.” He turns quickly when he hears a noise from the bed. It almost sounded like Louis’ scoff. “Lou…” He frowns as he watches his husband.

“Good morning,” Heather says as she walks in.

Harry looks over. “Morning, Heather.”

“Did you sleep at all?”

Harry shrugs. “I slept some yesterday.”

“You should catch a nap today. You need your sleep too.”

“I’ll sleep when I know he’s okay.” He moves back over to the bed. “Is everything still okay? I mean… after his seizure.”

Heather nods. “Yes. I’m sure Arabella went over everything with you.”

“She did.”

“You were in here when it happened?”

“Yeah.” He takes a seat once Heather moves to the other side of the bed. “Will that keep happening?”

“We’ll be able to give you a better answer on that once he’s awake. Right now, it’s hard to say.”

Harry nods. “But even… even if he does have to deal with them, will he be able to perform?”

“That will depend on a number of things. But as long as he’s taking care of himself, it’s always possible.”

Harry watches as Heather continues her evaluation. He doesn’t know why, but he feels like he needs to talk to her. “We’d broken up.”

Heather frowns. “What?”

“Back when we’d been denying it. After… when we knew it was going somewhere. I told you that he wasn’t completely out. We um… He was fine with us telling our families. They all knew we were gay anyways. But…” He reaches out, taking Louis’ hand. “He didn’t want to tell anyone else. He wasn’t ready. I was okay with that. It was a big move. We were both still new to this career. So we kept it to ourselves and our families. I didn’t realize he hadn’t even told Liam. So when we were all hanging out, I said something that was blatantly obvious that we were together. Niall knew about us. I thought Liam did too.”

“He didn’t?”

Harry shakes his head. “He didn’t. I think Liam had already figured it all out, but Louis hadn’t opened up to him yet. I… Because of that little comment, I lost him.”

“But you didn’t, Harry.”

“And now look where we are.” Harry shrugs. “I don’t know what I would have done had we not gotten back together.”

“How long had you been separated?”

“Almost four months. He was… He showed up at my door one night. It was late. I knew it had to be someone close because they’d gotten past the gate. Sad part is I never even heard the sensor letting me know that someone was approaching.” He smiles as he shifts to kiss the back of Louis’ hand. “I barely had the door open when he’s pushing his way in and kissing me.”

“Your love life is straight out of a rom-com, I swear.”

Harry laughs softly. “Lou said the same thing when he proposed.”

“Did you know he was going to propose?”

“No, I didn’t. I mean, we had talked about getting married. And we both knew that we would eventually. I had no idea it was actually happening until halfway through his little speech.”

Heather smiles. “And I’m sure you remember every single word.”

“I do.” Harry clears his throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad you were able to talk to me like that. I know it can’t be easy opening up to people you don’t know. Especially one who’s been a fan of yours for years.”

Harry smiles. “No, it’s definitely not easy. But you… everyone I’ve come in contact here with has been amazing. I don’t know if it’s because you had to sign…”

“It’s not. At least not for me.”

“Okay, good.”

* * *

  
  
A week. Harry can’t believe it’s been a week since the accident. How has it been that long already? He has yet to leave the hospital, having canceled any appearances that had been on his schedule. At this point, he isn’t even sure what was on the calendar. Thank goodness for Niall. He’s also thankful that he has Anne, Gemma, and Lottie around to help out with the kids. Each of them had brought the kids up a couple of times each day so Harry could spend time with them.

Harry walks into Louis’ room after he’d walked Gemma and the kids out to the back entrance. He immediately moves over to the bed, leaning down to kiss the side of Louis’ mouth.

“Hi Lou. Gems and the kids just left. But you already know that because Gemma was in here. Probably telling you how I won’t leave the hospital.” He kisses Louis again. “I can’t leave.” He walks over to the window, looking out over the darkening city. “The kids want to see you. I wish they could. I really wish they could. I don’t know if it would help you or not. But it would help them. They’re… distant. I mean, I guess I have been too. I haven’t been home. I just…” He takes a deep breath. “I just wish I could see your eyes.”

“Fucking turn around.”

Harry jumps at the raspy command. He turns quickly as his eyes widen. “Lou…” He rushes over to the bed. “Baby…” He gasps when he sees Louis’ eyes open slowly. “Oh God, Lou.” He reaches over, hitting the call button several times.

“Babe…” Louis swallows. “I’m sorry.”

Harry frowns as he sits down on the edge of the bed. “What are you apologizing for?”

“I didn’t… didn’t…” Louis takes a couple of breaths. “Make it to your show.”

“Oh, Baby.” Harry leans down, kissing Louis’ cheek before his tears finally start. “Don’t apologize. I… You’re here. You’re still here.” He carefully buries his face into Louis’ neck. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

“Hmm… not anytime soon.”

Harry lifts up when he hears someone walk in, smiling when he sees Arabella. “Hi, sorry.” He wipes his eyes. “Um… he’s up. I didn’t…”

“Harry, take a breath,” Arabella says with a smile. She approaches the bed. “Welcome back, Mr. Tomlinson.”

Louis groans. “Louis.”

“Louis.” Arabella smiles at him. “I’m Arabella. I’m going to page Dr. Pierce to do a full exam, but I want to take a quick look at a few things before he does arrive. First, I need to see your eyes.” Her smile widens when Louis looks at her. “Faye was right. She has your eyes.”

“Faye? Oh… what… I need…”

“Baby, relax,” Harry grips Louis’ hand when the man starts struggling. “Baby, please. They’re fine. They’re okay. Faye has a gash on her forehead. But other than that, cuts and bruises.” Harry watches as Louis closes his eyes again. It doesn’t take much to know that his husband is trying not to cry right now. “It’s okay to cry.”

“No. This is my fault.”

“Oh Baby, no.”

Harry follows Dr. Pierce and Arabella out to the hall after they finish talking with Louis. “He’s going to be okay?” he asks.

Dr. Pierce nods. “Everything looks good. We have another scan scheduled for the morning and that will give us a better answer for everything. He will still need to be here for a while. But we’ll know the extent of everything in the morning.”

Harry nods. “Can the kids come see him?”

“Once we have the test results back in the morning, we can answer that one for sure. But I don’t see there being an issue.”

“Okay. Thank you, for everything.”

Harry sits down on the edge of the bed after he returns. He smiles at his husband as he takes his hand. Louis opens his eyes.

“How long?” Louis asks.

“A week.”

Louis nods. “And the show?”

“Aside from walking off the stage to find out you and the kids were in an accident, it was amazing.” He reaches out with his free hand, resting it on Louis’ cheek. “I thought I was going to lose you again. But this time…”

“I’m here.” Louis leans into Harry’s touch. “I’m here.” He closes his eyes again. “I need to shave.”

Harry smiles through his tears. “I have a razor. I’ll do that for you in a little bit. I meant to yesterday. I figured I got my few days of seeing you with your beard.”

Louis smirks. “I’ll make you a promise.”

“And what’s that?”

“Shave me now and I promise the moment we’re able to have sex again I’ll have my beard back for you.”

“Oh…”

Harry looks over quickly at the sound of Arabella. He blushes as he moves to stand up. “Um…”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Arabella says with a smile. 

“No… I just…”

“He likes to think people don’t know we have sex,” Louis rasps out.

“Louis!” Harry stares wide-eyed at his husband.

“I see we’re going to have to keep an eye on you,” Arabella says as she walks over with a pitcher of water. “I brought you some water. Sip slowly. And try not to make your husband blush anymore.”

Harry wrinkles his nose. “Not nice.” He gestures toward Louis. “He wants to shave. Am I still able to do that.”

“Of course. And I’ll be sure to have Dr. Pierce let you know how long it’ll be before you two can have sex again.” She gives a little wave before she walks out of the room.

“I like her,” Louis says.

Harry looks at Louis. “If I weren’t so fucking happy to see you right now, I’d leave.”

“Hmm…” Louis turns his head. “Come ‘ere.”

There’s a familiar thrill that pours through Harry at the command. He walks over, sitting down on the edge of the bed once again. “Lou…”

“Kiss me.”

Harry squeezes his eyes shut as he leans down and presses a soft kiss to Louis’ mouth. He’s surprised when he feels Louis part his lips. “Lou…”

“Please…”

That’s all Harry needs to hear. He closes the distance again, kissing him softly. He whimpers at the feel of Louis’ tongue against his own. As quickly as the kiss started, Harry makes sure to end it just as quickly. 

“You needed that,” Louis whispers. “Can you please shave my face now?”

Harry smiles. “Yeah, I can do that.”


	8. Chapter 8

He just has to keep telling himself to breathe. Why is he even nervous? He shouldn’t be nervous. He’s seeing his kids. The kids he hasn’t seen in a week. The kids that were in the SUV when he crashed.

“Fuck,” he mutters as he squeezes his eyes shut. “It wasn’t your fault. Your babies are okay.” He takes a shaky breath.

If it isn’t his fault, why does he feel like it is? Because it wasn’t just him in the vehicle. If it was just him, he wouldn’t even care. But his babies…

* * *

  
  
Harry squats down in front of his kids. “I think you three grew again,” he says with a smile. 

“Dada, you silly,” Hazel says. 

“Am I?” He pulls all three of them into a hug. “I have some news. Very exciting news.” He smiles again when the kids look at him with questioning looks. “Daddy’s awake.” 

“Really?” Faye asks. “Daddy’s awake?”

Harry nods. “Really. He woke up last night. He’s going to be okay. But do you want to hear the best news?”

Faye frowns. “Do we get to see him? I want to see Daddy.”

“You get to see him.” He wipes Fayes’ tears from her cheeks. “We can go see him in a few minutes. The nurse was checking on him again. As soon as they’re finished, we can go see him.”

“Can we hugs him?” Hazel asks.

“You’ll have to be very careful, but you can hug him. Daddy still has a lot of different things attached to him. But don’t worry. It’s not a scary thing. They’re helping Daddy. He’s still very sore and he still has cuts and bruises. But I promise you that he’ll be okay. He’ll want to hug each one of you.”

Harry isn’t surprised at the way Noah clings to him as they walk down the hall a short time later. He glances down to make sure the girls are staying with him. Once they reach Louis’ room, he pushes the door open. The girls stare up at him.

“Go ahead,” he says. “Daddy’s inside. Just don’t jump on him.” He follows the girls into the room, closing the door behind him. He sees Louis shifting a little to sit the bed up further. 

“Daddy,” Faye says as she stops at the side of the bed.

Harry doesn’t have to look to know that she’s crying again. He shifts Noah to his other side as he walks up behind the girls. Louis smiles as he holds his arm out for Faye.

“Come here, my little Fairy,” Louis says.

Faye looks back at Harry. Once he nods, she’s climbing onto the bed carefully. “Daddy…”

Louis pulls her against him, holding her as close as possible as her cries become louder. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” Even as he’s saying this, his own tears start. He squeezes his eyes shut, pressing a soft kiss against her hair. “I’m here, Fairy.”

Harry wipes his own tears as he watches the scene before him. This is what they all needed. Yes, it’s heartbreaking to see all the tears. However, after not being able to be together as a family in over a week is something they’ve been struggling with.

“We were calling for you,” Faye cries. “You didn’t answer.”

“I’m sorry, Faye. I’m so sorry.”

Harry combs his fingers through Hazel’s curls as she leans against his legs. He knows she wants her time with Louis, but he can’t force Faye to let go just yet. He frowns when he sees Louis flinch a little. “Baby…”

“I’m fine,” Louis says quickly. He shakes his head. “I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

“Look at me, Faye.” Louis smiles when his daughter lifts up. “My brave girl.” He strokes her cheek with his thumb. “I’m so proud of you. Dada told me how good you’ve been with getting your bandage changed.”

Faye nods. “Arabella did the best here,” she says. “Auntie Lottie is the best at home.” She frowns at that. “Don’t tell Grandma.”

“I won’t, Fairy.” Louis smiles. “Gimme a kiss.”

Faye leans down to give Louis a kiss. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, Faye.”

Harry takes a step back to give Faye enough room to climb off the bed. He taps the top of Hazel’s head. “Need helping getting up?”

“No,” Hazel answers.

“Okay. Just be careful.”

“Harry, I’m fine,” Louis says.

Harry shakes his head. “Doesn’t mean they should be jumping on you.”

Louis smiles. “Okay.” He shifts a little as Hazel climbs up onto the bed. “There’s my Zelly Belly.” He wraps her into a hug as she settles on his chest.

Harry doesn’t say anything even though he sees the discomfort on Louis’ face. He watches as Louis says something to Hazel that only she can hear. He’s sure he did the same with Faye as well. It’s something he’s done before. After another minute, Hazel is sliding off the bed. He shifts Noah, so he can hand him over to Louis. However, his son continues to cling to him.

“Noah, don’t you want to hug Daddy?”

Noah shakes his head as he tightens his arms around Harry’s neck. “You, Dada.”

Harry frowns as he meets his husband’s gaze. “Okay, Little Bear. You can stay with Dada.” He doesn’t miss Louis’ lip trembling before the man looks away. He reaches over to take Louis’ hand. It nearly breaks him when Louis quickly pulls his hand away. “Um… girls, why don’t you stay with Daddy. Tell him what you’ve been doing all week.” He walks out of the room before anyone can say anything else.

When Harry walks into the waiting room, he finds that the others have joined Anne now. He isn’t surprised by the way his family looks at him. He simply gives them a wave before walking over to a couch on the other side of the room. He sits down, pulling Noah’s arms from his neck.

“Noah, what’s wrong?” he asks softly. “Why didn’t you want to hug Daddy?”

Noah pouts at Harry. “Not Daddy.”

“Little Bear, that is Daddy.” He frowns when Noah shakes his head. “Why don’t you think it’s Daddy?” He watches as Noah points to different parts of his arms and face. “Oh, Noah. Daddy has a lot of injuries from the accident. He’s going to have scrapes. I know it looks bad and I know it may not look like what Daddy normally looks like, but I promise you that it is Daddy.”

Noah’s bottom lip trembles as his tears flow heavier. “Promise?”

“Yeah, Little Bear, I promise. Do you want to go see Daddy again?”

“I hug?”

“All you want.”

Harry walks back into Louis’ room. He shifts Noah so his son can look at Louis. “Okay?” he asks softly. “You want to go see Daddy now?”

Noah nods slowly. “You stay?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Harry approaches the bed. Louis must have said something to the girls because they move off the bed the moment he’s there. Harry moves closer, shifting to hold Noah out to Louis.

“Hey, Baby Bear,” Louis says. That’s all it takes for Noah to break down against Louis.

“Daddy…”

Harry takes a step back to let Louis have his time with Noah. He squats down by the girls, sliding his arms around them when they move closer. “Did you tell Daddy what you’ve been doing?”

“Yes,” Faye answers. “We told him that we’ve been sleeping in your bed.”

Harry smiles. “You’re going to get spoiled. Just wait until we get home. You won’t be able to sleep there much longer.”

“Dada, is Noah okay?”

“Yeah, Noah’s okay. He was just a little scared.” He smiles when Louis gives him a thumbs up. “Looks like we can rejoin.” He lifts both girls up. “Oh boy, I’m not going to be able to do this with both of you for much longer.” He walks over, setting them on the bed carefully.

Louis smiles as Harry moves to sit on the edge of the bed beside him. “I’m sorry I pulled away before,” he says softly.

Harry shakes his head. “Nothing to apologize for.” He leans down and presses a soft kiss to Louis’ lips. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. But I’m okay.” 

“Dada, can we turn TV on?” Hazel asks.

“Go ahead,” Harry answers. “Just keep the volume down.”

“Okay.”

Harry shifts a little so he can look at Louis better. “You really feeling okay?”

“Babe, I can’t sit here and tell you I don’t hurt. Because I do. But I can tell you that I’m going to be okay. You heard what the doctor said.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry.”

“Hmm…” Louis grips Harry’s arm. “Come ‘ere.” He carefully tugs at his husband’s arm. “Come ‘ere.”

Harry leans over, letting Louis get what he wants. Of course, he isn’t going to fight it. He wants it too. He sighs happily into the kiss. Louis curls his fingers into Harry’s hair.

“Lou…”

“We’ll be alright.”


End file.
